I was once persuaded that real Scouts only used real Scout mess kits.
The standard issue military type clamshell mess kit may have a long tradition in Scouting, but compared to the alternatives it is woefully inadequate.
Some folks like gadgety, expensive, modern specialty cooking gear but I’ll be fine with my highly evolved, cheap, light, and completely superior kit assembled from commonly available alternatives.
Evolve! Consign your mess kit to the recycling bin where it belongs!
Here’s my (kind of ranting) piece by piece deconstruction of the mess kit, and alternatives for every budget ($-$$$) or for free!
There’s an infographic available at the end of this post.
Utensils
The traditional interlocking knife, fork, spoon? Lugs on the spoon collect crud and the bowl is shallow and small. The fork is a utilitarian masterpiece compared to the dull, flimsy, useless knife that shames knives everywhere.
Why carry a fork AND a spoon when a spoon will do? If you want to get fancy try a spork or a foon!
Any common plastic spoon will do, and you don’t need a special eating knife if you’re carrying a pocket knife.
Alternatives $
$$
$$$
Free (or nearly so)
‘Disposable’ plastic spoons
Plate or Bowl
An aluminum plate is an efficient heat sink, the thermodynamics are designed to suck the heat out of food and transfer it directly to your hands.
My alternative is a food storage container with a lid. There are specialty camping bowls and kits; I prefer the lighter, less costly, alternatives.
Alternatives
$
Square 2-Cup Food Storage Container
$$
$$$
Light My Fire Outdoor Meal Kit
Free (or nearly so)
A disposable take-out container
The “Frying Pan”
Try frying something in a mess kit ‘frying pan’ without it sticking and burning. Never mind the puzzle of a handle with nuts and bolts that inevitably disappear into a pile of leaves. Who really needs to fry something in the woods anyway?
Alternatives
If you really have to fry something carry a real frying pan!
The Pot
The tiny mess kit pot great if you need a few tablespoons of boiling water, otherwise – no so great. A 1-2 quart aluminum pot with a lid is my choice of alternatives. Scouts should be cooking with a patrol, and when we are backpacking it doesn’t make much sense to have every individual carry their own pot.
Alternatives
$
Open Country 2 Quart Aluminum Covered Kettle
$$
Stainless Steel 2-Person Cook Set
(buy one and share with your friends)
$$$
Ultralight Titanium Cooking Pot
Free (or nearly so)
An old saucepan can be repurposed into a camping pot. (you can always cut off a handle or add a tinfoil lid if need be)
The Cup
An insulated mug does double duty as a bowl and will keep food warm unlike the flimsy plastic cup in most mess kits
$ – $$
Insulated Infinity Mug
Insulated Stainless Steel Mug
Free (or nearly so)
Every household probably has at least several insulated mugs hiding in a cabinet somewhere.
The Canteen
Canteens have (thankfully) been supplanted by much more utilitarian water bottles. Just In case, though, remember that canteens are small mouthed, leaky, difficult to fill, ungainly to carry and hard to clean.
Alternatives
$
Nalgene BPA Free Tritan Wide Mouth Water Bottle
Free (or nearly so)
Disposable bottles can be reused many times over. They are light and cheap. If the cap leaks that can be fixed with some plumber’s Teflon tape.
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